Lives Worth Living
by keeper karena
Summary: Hermione and Draco have a life full of love, including a family and a children's center. While Hermione is still in touch with Harry and Ron, she misses them dearly as they don't keep in touch as often since the boys disapprove of her life choices. However, a new addition to their children's center brings Hermione and Draco back into contact with Harry and the Weasleys.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter one:**

Hermione walked to her home, after a long day of work at the center. Luckily, her house wasn't far from work at all, as she was looking forward to sitting down with a glass of wine and relaxing in the tub for a bit.

This particular day had been hard, as she was trying to bring in as many children as possible to the canter. Hermione was the co-owner of her charity, Lives Worth Living. Before the war, Hermione was so sure she was going to follow her dream of working in the ministry or in some type of activism. However, after the Battle of Hogwarts and witnessing too much death, she was determined to make a difference for the future of their world, and not just in the way of the government.

Hermione was always certain that children were the future of their world, and she still believed this to be true after having been away from school for twelve years. A lot had changed in this time, most of her life since school not being anywhere near what Hermione expected. Not only was her job not what she had pictured since her first year at Hogwarts, but her circle of family of friends had shifted as well.

She was still in a form of contact with Harry as well as the Weasleys, however slightly less with them. She cared deeply for her friends from her childhood and always would, but after disagreeing on Hermione's relationship and steps she took after Hogwarts, their friendship slowly drifted apart. Of course, Harry married Ginny just like everyone pictured, and they have been married for about eleven years and had a child, James, who is six years old. Not long after having James, the couple had Albus, who is four, and lastly Lily, who is now three.

The five of them had built a nice family over the years and despite their differences, Hermione was happy for her friends. She was pleased for Ron as well, who moved on to be with Lavender after he and Hermione decided they wouldn't make a good couple, and they now have two children as well. Rose, who is four, and Huge, who is two.

Hermione sighed as she thought of her old friends, and wondered how they were doing. The group of them haven't spoken a lot in the past few months, only proving that they were drifting apart.

While Hermione didn't regret for one second defending the life she wanted to achieve all those years ago, it still hurt to think that her friend's disapproval is what led to their ever-growing separation.

She shook her head as she arrived at her home, opening the door and setting her bags down before slipping off her shoes. She smiled as she took in her surroundings, seeing the twins sitting on the floor playing while their grandmother sat on the couch watching them.

"Good evening, Narcissa. I trust the twins were good for you?" Hermione greeted her mother-in-law while kissing her children on their heads before sitting next to the older woman and kissing her cheek in greeting.

"Oh, of course, my dear. They always are." Narcissa smiled at her grandchildren before looking at Hermione. "You look like you have had a long day."

Hermione let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding and explained to Narcissa how busy the day gradually had become at work. The day had been rather hectic, as new sponsors for the charity were coming out of the woodwork now that it was growing in popularity. Of course, sponsors were a good thing, but it was hard to keep up with sometimes with everything else going on. New children who are born and not wanted were being dropped on their doorstep far more than she would like. Not to mention they were fairly full to begin with, as they had taken in the kids who had lost their parents and had nowhere to go to after the war.

A new addition to their center was taking in muggle born children who were unfortunately given up after discovering they were magical. This particularly hit Hermione hard, given her parents had been very understanding once discovering they had a witch for a daughter, and she couldn't imagine being left on the streets as a child. So, after catching wind of this ever-growing problem in the muggle world, Lives Worth Living started to take in magical muggle youth who had become homeless.

This caught the eyes of every news outlet in the magical world and soon employees, as well as Hermione and her husband, were constantly being asked to comment on the new proceedings for the center and what the future held for LWL.

During their chat, Hermione got up to give the children a quick snack before pouring herself and Narcissa glasses of wine. Her mother-in-law is the one who actually got Hermione into drinking wine after a stressful day, after doing it often in her presence when she and Draco were dating. After a while, she caught herself doing it as well.

"I have to say, I am quite proud of how you and Draco have handled all of this press so far," Narcissa said. "I know dealing with reporters can be tiresome, especially in regards to something so big."

"Thank you," Hermione commented, smiling. "It has been so hard though! Watching what I have to say at every turn, it is just exhausting," she said, crossing her legs underneath her, trying to get comfortable.

"You'd think you would be used to that after all the coverage over you becoming the new Mrs. Malfoy!"

Hermione laughed, agreeing. "That is true. I thought that was bad enough when we got married."

"What was bad when we got married?"

The ladies turned to see Draco and he and Hermione's eldest daughter, Katrina, come in through the back door. Katrina smiled at her mother and grandmother before running over and cuddling into Hermione's side. Hermione smiled, pulling her daughter close to her.

"Hello, sweetheart. How was your day with your father?"

Katrina grinned, explaining how fun of a day she had following her daddy around at work.

"And you behaved well, I imagine?" Narcissa questioned her granddaughter, giving the famous Malfoy smirk when Katrina nodded her head while turning slightly red.

Hermione looked at her husband in response, who laughed while taking off his jacket and sitting in the chair next to the couch. "Oh, you know how Katrina and I get when we're together. Nothing ever gets done."

"Meanwhile, your wife is up to her ears in work all day. You could have stopped by to help the poor girl out, Draco."

Draco smiled sheepishly at his mother before looking at his wife. "I'm sorry Mia, will you ever forgive us?"

"Yeah, mommy, forgive us! I promise we will be better next time!" Katrina looked up at her mother with a pleading look in her eyes, giving the best puppy eyes she could, a trait she picked up from her father and grandfather.

Hermione laughed, shaking her head at their antics. "Well fine, I guess just this once." Everyone grinned, knowing this would most likely occur again in the future with the same response. No matter how hard Hermione tried, she would never be able to be mad at her husband for spending time with their daughter, even if that meant not having any help at work sometimes.

"So, what were you ladies discussing as we walked in?" Draco asked.

"Oh, just the amount of press that we're getting with this new program for the center. I was saying that I thought the popularity was bad enough when we got married, but it is nothing compared to the onslaught of publicity we have going now," Hermione explained.

"I thought you liked seeing your face smeared all over the Daily Prophet, love" Draco teased me. I stuck my tongue out in response, in a very mature way of course.

"Well, I think I am going to head home to Lucius, I am sure he is lost without me," Narcissa joked as she stood up and gave her son a hug before giving one to her daughter-in-law as well. "And thank you for spending the day with me, you two!"

The twins ran over to her and gave her each a hug as best as they could. Scorpius and Serena were each four years old, having been born two years after their older sister. They were near spitting images of their father, however, their blond locks were as curly as their mother's. Katrina got her brunette hair from Hermione, but her sly little personality was all Draco's doing.

Narcissa bid goodbye to her family before apparating home. Since it was already late enough in the day, Narcissa had fed the twins a bit before Hermione arrived home, leaving them to just require bathing and changing before hopping into bed.

Hermione was about to lead the twins to their bathroom before her husband stopped her. Draco pulled her in for a hug before giving her a kiss. "I realized I didn't properly greet you when I arrived home."

Hermione smiled, kissing him in return before relaxing in his embrace. "Yes, how dare you do such a thing?"

Draco grinned before kissing her on the forehead one more time before telling her to sit down and finish her wine. "You have had a long day, which I am sure you can tell me about after I put the kids to bed."

"Draco, I can help," she tried to protest, even though sitting sounded heavenly at the moment.

He shushed her, before telling the three to kiss their mother goodnight and head to the bathroom. Hermione smiled at her three children as they all bounded over to her on the couch and jumped into her lap. She laughed as they all fell into a mess on the couch, tickling Serena who had landed the closest to her. Her daughter gave out a squeal of laughter, begging to be let go of. Scorpius, being the best twin brother there is, tried to tickle Hermione to make her let go, his little hands hardly having an impact on their mother. However, she pretended like he got her, giggling along and releasing Serena to Draco. She sighed in content, kissing Katrina and Scorpius before they followed the other two down the hall.

As her breathing slowed, she sipped at her wine and smiled at her life. She had the three most precious children anyone could ask for and a damn good husband as well.

Draco and Hermione had reconnected their sixth year when Draco was petrified over his mission Voldemort had given him. Not that many people knew of their communication that year, due to the upcoming war and natural rivalry between their houses at the time. However, she had noticed how drastically his demeanor had changed, and the few times they bumped into each other she always asked if he was doing okay.

Of course, he initially snarled at her in response, calling her a "nosey mudblood" and telling her to mind her own business. However, she never gave up on him, and eventually, he gave in to her. He didn't tell her what his mission was, just that he and his family were terrified at the state of things with the Dark Lord and he was trying to convince himself to succeed in the mission or else his family would be killed.

Hermione knew how hard things were going for him and was surprised he had confided in her at all. They grew a silent friendship over the year, but after everything blew up, literally, at the end of term and Dumbledore died, their communication ended. The next time they saw each other was at Malfoy Manor when she was being tortured by his Aunt Bellatrix, something Draco hated watching.

Because of how hard it was for him to watch, Draco did something no one expected and shot a curse at his aunt who then went unconscious for a small amount of time. Luckily, she had no idea it was him who hit her, but when she woke up she was alone. She assumed Harry and Ron had somehow escaped and saved Hermione, before threatening the Malfoy's to come with them. In reality, after Draco had cursed Bellatrix, his mother and father watched in shock as he ran over to Hermione to check if she was okay.

After seeing that she was alright, albeit, in a lot of pain, she went downstairs and released the prisoners, as well as Harry and Ron. When he got downstairs he saw they had somehow summoned Dobby. He told Dobby to take the rest of the prisoners somewhere safe, to which Ron suggested Shell Cottage. He then returned Harry and Ron's wands and the three of them ran upstairs, even though the two Gryffindor's had no idea what was going on.

Draco pleaded his parents to trust him, that he would explain later, but that they needed to leave as soon as possible. Dobby returned, Draco picked up Hermione and they all joined together as Dobby apparated them to Shell Cottage as well.

Safe and sound, Draco and Hermione reunited, her thanking him for saving her. Lucius and Narcissa were still in a state of shock, but neither could argue that they were not happy to be away from the Manor. Everyone could see how scared they were, even Harry and Ron.

After some time getting comfortable around each other, Draco and Hermione explained to the group how they had grown a sort of friendship the previous year, and how Hermione was the one person he trusted enough to confide in. Harry and Ron were not pleased with the fact that Hermione knew Draco had a mission, one that ultimately helped lead to the death of Dumbledore, but Draco jumped to her defense saying she had no idea what it was. Hermione added that in the end, she knew how terrified he was and that he was only trying to go through with it to save his parents.

In the end, the Order was informed of their new members, as the Malfoy's could no longer return to the Dark Lord, nor did they really want to. Lucius would follow his wife anywhere, and Narcissa was adamant that she was not taking her son back to such evil.

Everyone was shocked at the turn of events, even Hermione, but she got over her shock very quickly. Soon enough, the group was well on their way to defeating Voldemort.

After the war had ended, Draco and Hermione started to form more of a bond, which eventually led to romance. His parents weren't surprised, as they saw how deeply he cared for her. Harry and Ron were not too happy, though. Even though they knew he was on their side and they had all grown to know the Malfoys more, they still didn't like the idea of Hermione dating one.

After she told them she wasn't going to work in the Ministry as planned and instead had decided to try and open up a charity for children after the war, they were not pleased. They understood her compassion but felt she was choosing Draco over them, as he was going to be her partner in the charity. They felt she was being driven by pure romance and wasn't stopping to think about the consequences.

She followed through with her plans, and eventually, she and Draco succeeded in their project, as well as in their relationship. The years passed, their love and charity grew and eventually they married, much to Harry and the Weasley's shock.

"What has you so deep in thought?" Draco walked back into the living room, seeing his wife staring ahead, having barely touched the rest of her wine. He took the glass and sat it on the table before pulling his wife close to him.

"Oh, I'm just thinking.." Hermione's voice was soft and Draco could tell she was caught up in her thoughts.

"Love, what happened today that makes you so quiet?"

Hermione sighed, before looking at him. "'I've been thinking a lot about them today."

"Who, Harry and Ron?" Draco knew how much she missed her friends, as he'd seen their friendships slowly fade. At times he felt guilty as if it truly was his fault, but Hermione always convinced him that she didn't regret anything she chose to do all those years ago.

"Yes...today was so incredibly busy, and I was trying to catch up on the new children who have joined us." Hermione tried as hard as she could to at least introduce herself to every kid that walked through their doors. As they grew, it became increasingly difficult to do so, but she was determined to show them all that she cared.

"Okay.." Draco still wasn't seeing the issue, or what could have led her to think about her friends.

"Draco, apparently Teddy Lupin was placed in our care this past week."

"Teddy Lupin? As in Harry's godson?" Draco knew the shock was evident in his tone. He thought the Potter's were raising Teddy as their own. Andromeda had initially tried to raise him, but she soon fell ill and he went to live with Harry full time. His grandmother was still alive and healthy, but not healthy enough to raise a child.

"Yes, exactly. I don't understand. Either he was placed there by someone in his family or he went there voluntarily. Either way, something must have happened to lead him to the center," Hermione answered. She was troubled at what could have caused Teddy's recent admission into the center and she hoped with all of her heart he wasn't given up by Harry.

"So this is why you have been thinking about that lot so much," Draco sighed. He gave her a kiss on the head before trying to rub her shoulders and help her relax. "How about tomorrow, we both go and speak to Teddy? We can try and see what is going through his head. He's what, eleven now?"

"Twelve," Hermione corrected. "Only twelve…" Her worry was very evident, but she agreed with Draco's proposal.

Tomorrow, they would go speak to Teddy together and get down to the bottom of this. She was going to find out why he was alone at their center and not with his family. She'd never forgive herself if she didn't help him in any way she could.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Draco woke up before his wife, his face covered by her runaway hair that had fallen out of her hair tie overnight. Over the years, Draco grew used to her hair being all over the place, from their bed to their car. While they lived in the magical world, Hermione stayed true to her muggle roots in some aspects, one of them driving a car. She specifically got it for when they traveled as a family, especially when going somewhere in muggle London.

He pulled a few strands away from her face before slowly getting out of bed. After stretching, he walked out of their bedroom and down the hall to check on the kids. Katrina was still fast asleep, so he moved on to the twins room. Serena was also curled up in bed, but he could see Scorpius moving about in bed. When he saw his father in the doorway, Scorpius jumped out of bed before heading into the hallway.

The duo walked down the hall to the stairs, being as quiet as possible as to not wake the women in the family.

Scorpius sat down at the table, watching his father move about the room.

"What are you thinking for breakfast, Scorp?" Draco asked, pulling the fridge door open before looking at his son.

"Umm...pancakes!"

"Pancakes it is, then," Draco agreed. He pulled some stuff out of the fridge before giving his son a job to do as well.

Draco watched and laughed as Scorpius tried to reach the cupboards and grab some plates down for the four of them. Silently, Draco moved a tool over to his son and grabbed him by his waist, lifting him onto the stool.

"Thanks, dad," Scorpius grinned, successfully grabbing down some plates before carefully hopping down to place them on the table, trying not to drop them. Hermione was always wary of letting the twins run around with dishes because she didn't want them to be too heavy for their arms, but Draco insisted. He said it would teach them responsibility in the kitchen, which is something he had never grown accustomed to as a child.

Something that came as a surprise to Hermione was that Draco offered to no longer house elves once they started becoming serious. He said he didn't want to make her too uncomfortable due to her beliefs on magical creatures.

Hermione decided that they could compromise. She knew it was something Draco was used to, and that she was willing to understand that as long as he agreed to some conditions. She suggested that they keep on one house elf, as they had a big home for the four of them but not as big as the Manor, so more than one house elf seemed a bit much. She also said the house elf, whose name is Missy, would get a daily wage and weekends off, since she and Draco were home on the weekends, at least mostly. Draco agreed, saying it was a very reasonable compromise, and soon realized he could function just fine without multiple house elves running about attending to his every need.

Since today was Saturday, Missy was off. They had a very large basement, one that was decorated and organized to Missy's wants and needs. Hermione made sure they had respectable quarters for her, fit with a small kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom for herself. In the basement was an attached room, which is where the entire family, including Missy, tended to their laundry.

The boys got started on preparing breakfast, and while the pancakes were baking, Draco got Hermione's coffee all ready. He soon learned when they were dating that this drink was something she heavily relied on, so he memorized her morning coffee routine.

Once it was ready, Draco enchanted the cup not to spill before handing it to Scorpius. "Here you go, go take this to your mom."

Excited to go wake his mom up, Scorpius ran off to the hall and up the stairs. Draco laughed to himself, glad he ensured the cup wouldn't spill or coffee would definitely be all over his son right now.

He poured himself a cup, got the pancakes all set up on the table before getting his kids drinks ready as well. By the time he was done, he turned around to see Hermione carrying their son with her coffee in her hand. Their daughters were following her down the steps and into the kitchen, waking up more once they saw their breakfast on the table.

"Good morning, Mia," Draco kissed his wife, before asking how she slept.

"Oh, I fell asleep just fine," Hermione smiled. "Didn't wake up once throughout the evening."

"I'm sure you were exhausted," Draco grinned, causing her to turn a slight shade of red. After the kids were fast asleep and the parents had talked about their plans when speaking to Teddy, Draco made sure his wife relaxed before going to bed. While their lives in the bedroom were nowhere near what they were when they first started dating, they still maintained a very healthy sex life. Neither of them had any complaints, sometimes feeling like teenagers when they were around each other. Of course, anyone could see that when looking at their three children.

Last night Draco gave his wife all of his attention, knowing some love and reassurance was just what she needed after a long week.

The family settled around the table, the kids excitedly grabbing for pancakes, all determined to handle breakfast on their own. It came as no shock to Hermione and Draco, nor to any of their friends and family, that their children were just as stubborn and independent as they were.

After finishing breakfast, Katrina and Hermione finished washing the dishes why Draco and the twins went to go get ready for the day. The two quickly finished and got ready themselves.

Last night while discussing their Saturday, Draco suggested the kids just come with them to work. Considering the nature of their job was children, their kids would have plenty of other small children to talk to.

Once the family was all set and ready to go, they headed out the front door, deciding to walk since it was a nice day out. Draco and Hermione held hands as they walked, while their three children walked ahead of them, Katrina holding the hands of the twins.

"How did we get so lucky, Draco?"

He smiled at Hermione and gave her a quick kiss. "I think that big war had something to do with it," he said honestly, before smirking. "Not to mention my good looks and charm just couldn't keep you away."

Hermione swatted him on the chest, shaking her head. "Prat."

Draco laughed. "I don't hear you disagreeing with me."

"I refuse to inflate your ego any more than it already is."

"Fine, fine."

They soon arrived at Lives Worth Living and greeted the women at the front desk before continuing on to the teenager ward. While Teddy was only twelve, it wouldn't be long until he was officially a teenager, so Hermione didn't bother changing his ward arrangements.

"Why are we visiting someone, mum?" Katrina looked up at Hermione.

"Your dad and I just want to check on someone, sweetie," Hermione smiled at her daughter, leading them to the door she knew Teddy resided in. Regardless of the fact that she, as well as Draco, owned the place, she knocked on the door.

It swung open faster than she expected, a young boy standing in front of her. Well, young was true, but he sure wasn't the size of someone his age. While only twelve, he was already sneaking up to Hermione's height, which wasn't too shocking when looking back at his parents stature.

"Hermione...hi," Teddy greeted her, obviously surprised to see her at his door. However, he didn't seem shocked at the fact that she found him.

Hermione didn't know how to respond, for once speechless. She didn't think he would really know who he was, given her relationship with his family. "Hello, Teddy." She smiled at him, despite her slight nerves. "Would it be okay if we talked? I can have Draco take the kids elsewhere if that makes you feel more comfortable?" She looked back at her husband, who nodded at her words.

Teddy shook his head, opening the door wider. "No, it's okay." He sounded sheepish, which Hermione couldn't blame him for. He knew she was here to ask questions.

They got the three kids settled on the floor, Teddy offering them some books to read to pass the time. He didn't have a ton with him to begin with, something Hermione hoped to figure out.

She and Draco settled in on the small loveseat across from Teddy, who sat cross-legged on his bed.

"I suppose you might want me to explain why we're here," Hermione offered. But before she could get another word out, Teddy spoke up.

"Actually...I think I know why." He sounded nervous, barely looking Hermione in the eye. "I ran away from home."

Her heart sunk a bit at his words. She was worried he would say that and she couldn't help but be curious as to why. Luckily, so was her husband.

"May we ask, why?" Draco said to the boy. Teddy shrugged, fiddling with a thread on his bedspread that suddenly caught his attention.

"Well...I got into a fight with Harry...over a girl."

Draco frowned, not expecting it to be something as trivial as matters of the heart. The barely teenage heart, at that.

Teddy continued. "I know that it sounds dumb," he muttered. "But it's more than that..so you know how it is holiday break right?"

Hermione and Draco nodded. Of course their own children were not old enough for Hogwarts yet, but they're own schooling was on break as well.

"So, I sort of started to hang out with this girl, Valerie. And everyone knew, I told them I had this friend from school and no one cared when I told them about her over summer..but now, over term I guess I sort of started to like her."

Draco felt sorry for the boy, because he obviously didn't feel comfortable talking about school girl crushes. Honestly though, who did? Not anyone, especially teenage boys.

"But a couple weeks ago, I told them what house she was in.."

"Ohh.." Draco and Hermione muttered collectively. Seriously, house rivalry? Still?

"Surely, their opinions of her house weren't bad enough to make you leave?" Draco asked.

"No, but then we started talking about their school days and.." Teddy turned his look away from Draco and onto Hermione. "Then I found out about you."

Teddy then told them about how after his godfather and the family didn't respond well to him being friends with a Slytherin, he asked them what the big deal was. Teddy didn't experience large amount of house rivalry at Hogwarts, as the mass amount of prejudice slipped away from the school the years following the war. However, the responses from Harry and the Weasley's didn't come as too much of a shock to the Malfoys. After trying to defend his friend, regardless of her house, Harry started to grow silent. According to Teddy, the only two who didn't jump on him were George and Arthur, who had been the ones to mention Hermione.

"You guys might want to hear him out and accept this friendship. Or else it'll be a repeat of Hermione," George had said. Arthur apparently agreed with his son, telling the family to remember times have changed and they couldn't control who was friends with whom.

"So, after you were mentioned, I wanted to know what they meant. Finally, they explained to me that you were the other girl in all the pictures I've seen over the years.." He looked at her, with a sad smile. "I guess you would have been an aunt of sorts."

"Oh, Teddy.." Hermione got up and moved to sit next to the boy, looking him in the eyes. "I am so sorry. I am sure their past issues with me no doubt hold part of the responsibility in regards to their reaction."

He shook his head at her, a few tears falling, which Hermione wiped away. "Even if they didn't like your choices, or mine, that was no reason for them to hide you from me. You were their best friend, basically family. You helped them win in the war and I am sure there is so much more to your history aside from the war."

Draco snorted at this. "Oh, there is." His wife frowned at him with a questioning glance. "What? I remember you all in school, obviously you had a thick friendship, you were the Golden Trio after all."

Hermione just shook her head while Teddy nodded excitedly. "See? I got upset that they reacted badly to Valerie, but once I found out they hid someone so important from me I just got even more upset."

Hermione put her arms around Teddy, giving him a hug. "Well, I am so happy to finally see the young boy you've grown up to be. Your parents would be proud of you, Teddy." She thought about Lupin and Tonks a lot over the years, and was still heartbroken that they had died.

Teddy smiled as a few more tears escaped his eyes. "I'd love to hear your stories about them, sometime."

She smiled at him. "Of course. But first..," Hermione turned to Draco. "We need to figure out what to do next."

Draco nodded, looking at Teddy. "Does your family know where you are?"

Looking guilty, Teddy shook his head. "No...I left a note saying I was going to stay with a friend.."

Hermione sighed at him, thinking of the next step. She informed Teddy that they would need to contact Harry and let him know his godson was safe. She didn't agree with how Teddy handled the situation, but she remembered when she was young and how quickly she acted when emotional. She was also touched by the fact that not knowing about her role in his family's life bothered Teddy so much. She would have thought she would just be an insignificant person from the past, much like she assumed their other children would view her. However, she could see how Teddy would be different, being born in the midst of the war, losing his parents. He probably wanted any connection to his parents that he could have and not knowing about Hermione took one more person away from him.

Teddy understood what she was saying. They discussed for Hermione to write an owl to the Potters later that day and arranged for a mutual meeting the following day, Sunday.

They invited Teddy to get lunch with them, giving him the chance to get to know Hermione some more. Most of his time with them was taken up with their children also fighting for his attention as well, especially Scorpius, who was excited to play with another boy.

Once they were back home after promising Teddy they would see him tomorrow, Hermione went up to her study to write to Harry.

She felt weird writing him a letter after so long, after so much time had passed.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _Hello, I hope you are well. As much as I wish this was a social letter, I am actually writing on a more serious matter. I just discovered Teddy voluntarily came to the children's center, saying he was alone and needed somewhere to stay. Apparently, he came into our care a few days ago, but I just found out last night while reviewing new cases. I spoke with him today and he has agreed for all of us to meet tomorrow and get down to the bottom of this. I am sure I speak for both of us when I say we both just want him to go home where he belongs and be happy._

 _I suggest either my home or the center. Get back to when you can, Harry._

 _Kindly,_

 _Hermione_

After writing the letter, Hermione took it to their small owlery attached to their attic, their owl flying off with the letter and headed to the Potter residence.

Hermione hoped Harry would return his own letter soon, because she hated knowing that Teddy was alone at the center when he truly did have a family that cared for him and wanted him home.

It didn't leave her thoughts, however, that he had only found out about her recently. That hurt her a bit as well, but at the end of the day, the main concern was Teddy. Her friendship was barely salvageable after all of these years anyways. She just hoped this wouldn't cut the division between them deeper than it already was.


	3. Chapter 3

I am so sorry for the delay. My semester ended, I moved and started working. I promise I am much more sorted now!

"What are we planning on doing for Christmas this year, dad?" Katrina asked her father. The Malfoy family members were currently in their den, cozying up for a family night. Usually, their weekend evenings consisted of games or movies. Hermione's muggle roots shone through in their den, as they had a grand television stand in the corner of the big room, a large sofa and lounge chairs in front of it. They had made this room as comfortable as possible, a place where all of them, or them as individuals, could go to if they wanted some peace and quiet away from the living room.

Draco and Hermione usually came to this room in the night when the kids were in bed, to relax before going up to their own bedroom. The three kids would play in here or watch movies with Missy on the weekends. Even Lucius had taken to the muggle movies, after some encouraging of course. While he grew to love Hermione as a daughter and watched as his son's family grew, it still took him a while to get used to muggle inventions, as he was raised to hate them.

"Well, pumpkin, I think we just plan on going to grandpa and grandmas. I don't think we have anything entirely too specific planned, right dear?" Draco turned to ask Hermione.

She shook her head but shrugged. "I haven't heard anything from your parents, but who knows? Last year was a little surprise, thinking it was going to be a family event and instead, finding out the Notts and the Zabinis were coming as well."

The previous Christmas, Draco and Hermione expected the holiday break to just be family. It was, for the most part, however, a couple days before Christmas, Draco's parents surprised them by saying they invited the other families to join them at the Manor as well. Not that anyone complained, as there was more than enough room for all four couples, as well as the children, and they all considered each other family anyways.

"Maybe they'll surprise us with a trip or something!" Their daughter exclaimed, going on to say how leaving home would be fun.

"Now don't go expecting anything from your grandparents, love. Whatever we all do will be lovely because we'll all be with each other, now how is that?" Hermione smiled down at her daughter, being stern but not too intense.

Katrina nodded, and just as quickly as the conversation began it ended, as she walked over to pick a movie. Serena followed along, intent to voice her opinion on what they would be watching. Scorpius was having a tired night it seemed, as he was currently pressed against Draco's side, his eyelids only half open.

As they settled in to watch the movie, which was Beauty and the Beast, much to Hermione's delight, they heard a light tapping sound.

"Oh, that might be Harry responding," Hermione sighed. She got up, careful not to disturb Scorpius, and headed to their small owlery. There she saw Hedwig, perched and waiting patiently. Upon Hermione entering the room, he made a small noise, which Hermione took as recognition for who she was. It had after all been many years since she had last seen the bird.

She smiled, taking the letter and softly scratching Hedwig on the head before giving her a treat. Content with her job, Hedwig flew off into the night.

Hermione opened the envelope as she headed back to the den, sitting down in her spot and pulling out the note.

 _Hermione,_

 _Thank you for reaching out to me, I really do appreciate it. All he said was that he left to stay with a friend, but we had no idea who he meant. I contacted as many of his friends that I knew about but had no luck._

 _Would tomorrow work for you? I'd like to see him as soon as possible. I can come by around noon if that is alright. Let me know._

 _Thank you again,_

 _Harry_

His note was kind and concise, much like her own. She guessed that was how tomorrow would go as well.

"Would tomorrow at noon be okay with you, Draco?"

He looked at her, nodding. "Of course," he said softly. "Although, would you like me to leave? To make the conversation easier?"

Hermione shook her head, her voice determined when she spoke. "Not at all. I want you here, as well as the kids. Even though I don't hold much anger towards them for not trusting me all those years ago, I still have a part of me that wants to show them I knew what I was doing."

He grinned, winking at her. "That's so Slytherin of you, you conniving little witch."

"Well there had to be some part of me that was Slytherin to attract a true snake like yourself," she shot back at him.

He smiled, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close. "Oh, I'm sure I would have fallen with or without your Slytherin traits."

She rolled her eyes, cuddling up next to him and relaxing with the kids for the remainder of the film. When they neared the end, she noticed that Scorp was fast asleep next to Draco, and the two girls were leaning against the couch at their feet, nodding off every few minutes.

"I think it's time we all went to bed," Hermione whispered, turning off the movie before moving down to pick up Serena, motioning for Katrina to follow.

"But the movie…" the older girl muttered, slowly shuffling along behind her mother.

Draco smiled, picking up his son before falling the rest of his family out of the room.

After he and Hermione got the kids settled and in bed, they headed into their room and Hermione sat down at the desk to reply to Harry. After telling him that tomorrow at noon would be fine, she gave him the coordinates for their home so he would know where to apparate. Afterward, she quickly went off to send the letter before joining Draco back in their room.

She crawled into bed, immediately curling up alongside him with her head on his chest. He was laying on the bed with one arm behind his head, the other wrapped around Hermione's shoulders. "So," he looked down at her, speaking softly. "Are you nervous for tomorrow?"

She shrugged her shoulders, sighing. "Not particularly... it just will be weird. Him coming here, for the first time in all of these years."

"I'm sure Potter will be on his best behavior," Draco murmured. He never liked the way Hermione's friends started to keep their distance after she made it known what she was doing with her life, both with Draco and work. It wasn't like he got on well with Potter and Weasley, to begin with, but after the war, he tried his best to remain neutral toward them, for Hermione's sake.

However, he found that hard to do after a while, after seeing her break down at her loss of friendships. Those rare moments where her emotional wall fell apart and her emotions took over. When he had to hold her and promise her it wasn't her fault, that she wasn't being selfish by doing what made her happy. That her friends, who supposedly loved and supported her, should have remained by her side, even if they didn't trust her.

So now, after twelve years, Draco still tried his best to not speak of them rudely, but Hermione knew deep down he wasn't fond of her old friends. Whenever she had any form of minimal contact with them, she would see his lips tighten, refraining him from saying anything derogatory about Harry and Ron. She wasn't mad at his though, for she understood his anger. His friends had stood by his side after the war, trusting that he knew what he was doing. Why couldn't hers have done the same?

Hermione let out a groan, throwing a pillow over her face. "Yeah, but we haven't seen any of them for twelve years. Hopefully, he's more put together when it comes to jumping to conclusions but I don't want him to say anything he'll regret in front of Teddy."

Draco shrugged at her. "Sorry love, but this is Potter we're talking about. I know he was your best friend but he surprised you once. Might as well be prepared for the worst tomorrow."

She lowered the pillow, frowning at him. "Must you always be so realistic?"

"Yes, or else a certain wife of mine will get her hopes up and I would really rather you didn't go to bed tomorrow distraught over the day."

He said this in a teasing manner at her, but she knew he was just disguising his true opinions and emotions. Always having a mask on at the beginning of their relationship made it very easy for Hermione to read his mind from then on.

"I guess you're right," she sighed. "Well, tomorrow morning I can head over to pick up Teddy and later on we can start lunch? I don't know how long it will take but I'd rather we at least offered food to Harry since he'll be here during lunchtime."

"Oh sure," he muttered back, rolling his eyes. "Lunch with Potter sounds just lovely."

"Oh shush. You know you'll go along with the lunch just to play nice and get tomorrow over with."

He grinned, nodding. "You know me so well."

"I'm your wife," Hermione smirked at him. "It's my job."

He agreed. No one knew him better than Hermione, not even his parents. She learned every in and out of who he was and who he grew up to be. What he wanted for his future, for his family. For himself. She always had faith in him after everything happened those twelve years ago and he never really understood why, but he was grateful. He vowed on their wedding day to make it his life's mission to repay her for giving him a life worth living.

He and Hermione settled into bed, turning off the light and starting to relax. They talking about the plan for tomorrow, picking up Teddy, what to plan for lunch, how to explain to the kids in the simplest way what was going on. Soon enough they drifted off to sleep.

The next morning came fairly quickly, Hermione waking up to the birds chirping outside, Draco still fast asleep beside her. After looking at the time and realizing it was already nine o'clock, she started to shake her husband lightly. They were hoping to pick up Teddy by ten and have him feel comfortable in their home before Harry arrived.

"Draco, love. Time to get up." She said to him, shaking him one more time before getting up herself and heading to the bathroom.

Hermione brushed her teeth and jumped into the shower, taking her time to appreciate the warm water spreading over her back. After finishing up she turned off the water, wrapping a towel around herself and walking over to the mirror. A few years after the war she had started to work on perfecting her hair. She had never been a very self-conscious person and was well aware while in school that she wasn't the most attractive girl around.

Once she got more settled after school, however, she started to work on her hair and clothing, happy to make herself more professional and put together when needed. Besides, it felt good to try sometimes.

"You know you no longer have to try so hard to make me fall in love with you, my dear."

She turned to look at her husband who was now leaning against the frame of the bathroom door, dressed and holding a fresh cup of coffee in his hand. A small smirk was playing on his lips.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yes, that is why I started to take care of my hair all those years ago. Your affection."

"I knew it all along."

"Incorrigible, you are," she said, putting the last touches on her appearance and then walking past Draco to get dressed.

"You knew that all along, as well, and you still married me."

"Oh yes, what was I possibly thinking?" She smiled, pulling on some lovely dress trousers and a pale pink blouse made of silk. Narcissa had told her at the beginning of her relationship with Draco that while she knew Hermione was used to dressing however she wished, being a Malfoy also meant always looking presentable and put together. Hermione didn't mind after a while, getting nice clothes and jewelry and being expected to look 100% whenever out and about. It had taken a good while to get used to, though.

"Okay, the kids are up and eating right now. They were getting restless," Draco explained. "Shall we tell them what is happening today before you head to get Teddy?"

Hermione nodded, sliding her feet into some boots before sticking her wand into the right boot. They walked downstairs, Hermione kissing all three of her kids on the head before pouring her coffee into a thermos and leaning against the counter.

"Okay, my loves. I am going to go pick up Teddy, you remember him from yesterday, yes?"

They nodded at her, Scorp smiling at the mention of his new friend.

"Well, his Godfather Harry is going to come by today and have lunch with us, alright? I am going to go pick up Teddy and then we're all going to hang out here this afternoon and talk. You all don't have to spend the entire time with us because us adults need to do some talking. You understand, yeah?"

This was one of the times Hermione was so grateful their children had inherited both her smarts as well as Draco's. They were quiet and patient as they listened to their parents, most of the time that is.

"Can we play as well, while you guys talk? Do you think Teddy will want to?" Katrina asked.

Draco smiled at his daughter and answered. "Teddy might need to do some talking as well, but I am sure it wouldn't hurt to ask him."

Satisfied, Katrina nodded before returning to her food.

"Okay, I am off. I'll be back soon. You lot plan what we're having for lunch, okay?" Hermione grinned, knowing the kids loved to play in the kitchen when allowed.

Giving Draco a kiss and blowing a kiss to the table of kids, Hermione apparated on the spot and appeared in her office at the center. Their apparition wards were set so that herself and Draco could apparate on and off of the premises, as well as anyone that they had alongside them.

She got the files that were dedicated to Teddy and his information and then headed to his room.

Once outside the door, she knocked and waited for him to pull the door open.

"Hello, Hermione!" Teddy smiled slightly, backing up so that she could enter and sit.

"How are you feeling, Teddy?" Hermione asked, settling on his chair while he resumed the spot on his bed that he had sat on yesterday.

"I'm okay, kind of nervous to see Harry again, eventually."

"Yes, I wanted to talk to you about that," she smiled at him, trying to reassure him as best as she could.

Hermione told him that she contacted Harry and they planned on lunch at her house that afternoon.

"I wanted to talk to him as quickly as possible, he does expect you there but I don't want you to feel forced at all. You come if you feel ready."

Teddy smiled at that. "Thank you, I understand, I do. And I think I'd like to come today, anyways. Get this over with."

She nodded at him, grinning inwardly at how mature he had grown up to be. "Okay, well then let us get on with the day then, shall we?"

Teddy gathered up his small amount of belongings in the room and then he and Hermione left the ward and headed outside the center. Hermione asked which way he would like to travel back to the house, and after learning he sometimes felt sick after apparating, they decided to walk.

It was a nice day, so Hermione decided to suggest having lunch on the back patio. The kids could play in the yard anyways, which would make it easy for the adults to talk.

Soon enough they arrived at her home, and Hermione opened the front door, beckoning Teddy to follow her inside.

"You have a nice home, Hermione," Teddy said softly, asking shyly where to put his things.

Hermione smiled at him in thanks. "I'm quite happy with it. You can go ahead and set it all on the table right there, dear. Make yourself at home, please!"

It was definitely weird for Hermione to have Teddy in her house. After her friendships with Harry and Ron started to drift, she thought she would never really get the chance to be a sort of aunt to Teddy. Or any of the other kids. No matter how short a visit this was, she was glad at the chance to welcome Teddy into her home.

"Let us go find the rest of the family, okay?" Hermione gave him a small hug, feeling him start to relax as his shoulders became less tense.

He nodded, following her into the kitchen, which they found empty aside from Draco sitting at the table, reading The Daily Prophet.

"Draco, where are the kids?" Hermione asked, sitting at the table next to her husband. She motioned for Teddy to join them.

"Oh, after we got lunch sorted they all went outside to play in the backyard a bit. Missy decided to join them after some begging from Serena, so they're under her watchful eye," Draco answered, kissing her on the cheek and then nodding at their guest.

"Hello, Teddy! I'm happy you joined us today and I hope you're hungry because the kids were in charge of lunch," Draco said. "And when they're in charge, they usually plan far more than needed."

Teddy laughed at that. "Do they plan lunch often?"

"Only on the weekends, and not every week. Just when we all feel like we're hungry enough," Hermione said, laughing at the end. "We wouldn't be able to function if we ate like the kids every week. They're the ones that are growing, not us."

Teddy nodding, grinning. "That's really cool, though. That you guys do that, as a family."

"Thank you, Teddy." She smiled back at him.

"Okay, let's get those kids rounded up and start lunch, Harry will be here soon enough." Draco stood and headed outside, gathering the children and instructing them to wash up before joining them in the kitchen.

When they saw that Teddy was there they rushed to clean up as quickly as possible. Soon they were all in the kitchen, the kids standing on stools next to the counter and giving Teddy, Hermione and Draco all jobs for the meal.

They had decided on pizza, three different kinds. After going out to eat at an Italian restaurant where they could watch the pizza being made, the kids loved the idea of making their own pizza at home. It took a couple tries to perfect it, but soon enough they all knew what to do, with their parents help of course.

Soon enough, the pizza was in the oven and baking to perfection. Hermione gave Katrina the job of getting the back patio ready for all of them to sit outside.

Suddenly they heard the echo of a loud crack, and Draco nodded at Hermione before heading to the front door.

"You ready, Teddy? It'll be fine, no worry at all," Hermione smiled at him reassuringly, leading him to the front room and watching as Draco walked outside to greet their new guest.

Teddy nodded. "Yeah, I'm good."

They waited for Draco to re-enter, behind him Harry following at a slower pace. "We won't bite, Potter," Draco said, not being able to help himself. If he was going to spend at entire afternoon with Harry Potter, he was going to need to be at least a bit sarcastic.

Harry rolled his eyes, opening his mouth but stopping when his eyes landed on Hermione and Teddy, standing together side by side.

"Harry, hello," Hermione smiled slightly, motioning for them all to sit down. "Let's get this over with, yeah?"

Harry nodded, looking at Teddy, who was avoiding his gaze. They all sat down and waited for the first person to speak. Looked like it was going to be a long afternoon.


End file.
